Online poker in Canada is a $4.61 billion market

Canada’s online poker boom is here!
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Online gaming has become incredibly popular around the world. Most recently, Canada has joined the list of countries providing online entertainment through virtual casinos.
Online poker room operator GGPoker recently struck an exclusive partnership with Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto to boost the property as a VIP and poker-enthusiast destination. Previously, GGPoker had become the official sponsor of The Poker Room at Casino Resort Toronto. Currently, Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto is now the only Ontario destination for hosting World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournaments, including WSOP Circuit bracelet and ring events.
In 2024, Casino Toronto hosted Toronto’s first-ever WSOP Circuit event in collaboration with GGPoker. The tournament boasted a prize pool of $5.5 million and saw more than 6,000 entries. Sarne Lightman, Managing Director of GGPoker, stated that the partnership combines “the best of live and online poker,” offering players a chance to join premier tournaments and rewards.
Meanwhile, this is only one of many initiatives throughout the country to bring legal online gambling and casinos to citizens. In this post, we’ll take a look at the popularity of online poker and the growth of its industry in Canada:
The popularity of online poker
Online poker has become a popular alternative to brick-and-mortar casinos in recent years. For players who don’t have the time or means to visit casinos physically, online poker, which can be accessed digitally on their laptop, computer, smartphone, or tablets, offer a convenient alternative.
As previously mentioned, Canada has slowly caught up with the online poker trend. Based on data from Statista, the online gambling market in the country is projected to reach $4.61 billion in 2025, with online casinos reaching a projected market volume of $2.87 billion in the same year. Aside from the convenience of digital tools, Canadians are also increasingly drawn to the sports betting trend.
Currently, each province in Canada has its own regulations and licensing requirements. However, efforts are being made to create a more unified regulatory framework to promote responsible gambling practices.
The aforementioned specific provinces are stuck playing against others in the region unless they use international casino platforms. Americas Cardroom is one of the most popular poker platforms in North America providing various poker variants for its vast community of players. This includes high-stakes tournaments and promotions such as The Venom tournaments, which boast up to $12.5 million in prize pool.
Aside from the huge tournaments, Americas Cardroom (ACR) also partners with professional poker players as ambassadors. This includes Jon Pardy, who was introduced to poker after his dramatic victory on Big Brother Canada‘s second season. Having learned from his strategic ups and downs on Big Brother, Pardy is an avid poker player and an ACR Pro. Aside from competing in various poker tournaments, Pardy also streams his poker games on the streaming platform Twitch.
The growth of online poker in Canada
Due to the different regulatory procedures per province, the growth of online poker in the country is considerably complex. In November 2024, Ontario pushed to ask the court if its plan to allow local users to engage in peer-to-peer online games — like poker — with participants outside of Canada would remain legal. The province also separated gaming regulator iGO from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
The legalities surrounding differing province rules for online gaming and casinos are certainly unique and untested in Canadian courts. Ontario aims to expand its regulated sports betting and online gaming market in the hopes of growing its poker player pool. Integrating with and attracting international players, Ontario believes, can lead to healthier consumer protection and online gambling practices.
At the same time, concerns about expanding the country’s online gaming and gambling market aren’t without reason. In a previous post, we highlighted study findings from McAfee and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, with ransomware attacks causing an estimated $1 trillion in global economic losses. Ensuring proper regulations are set in place isn’t only about enforcing rules for players but also to protect players from potential cyber risks like ransomware, phishing, and financial and identity fraud.
Similarly, other Canadian provinces like Alberta are also on the move to expand their respective online gambling markets. University of Alberta political science professor Fiona Nicoll, who worked alongside the Alberta Gaming Research Institute, aims to promote responsible gambling as the industry continues to grow rapidly. As of October 2024, the university is offering a micro-credential course about gambling and gaming to prepare professionals in various fields to understand and respond to this new gambling environment.
We’ll have to see how Canada’s online poker market will fare in 2025. Still, constant efforts and initiatives from various provinces to expand the market and player base will help make the online hobby and pastime more accessible to players throughout and beyond the country.
If you found this post interesting but don’t prefer online games, you might enjoy our previous review of video game Tunic, an old-school adventure about saving the land from evil.
This content is a collaboration between our publication and Peter Phillips. We do not endorse any product or service mentioned in the article.